Etihad Airways is celebrating four years of its non-stop service between Moscow and Abu Dhabi. The airline commenced operations to the Russian capital on 1st December 2008, and has since carried almost 250,000 travellers and 620 tons of cargo on the route. Five weekly flights became a daily service in 2009, and load factors have increased in each year of operation.
Etihad codeshares on S7 operated services from Moscow to the Russian cities of Kazan (KZN), Samara (KUF), Krasnodar (KRR) and Saint Petersburg (LED). S7 codeshares on Etihad’s Moscow – Abu Dhabi service and onwards to Bangkok. Subject to government approvals, S7’s flight code will also be placed on Etihad’s flights to Sydney and Melbourne.
Speaking in Moscow, James Hogan, President and Chief Executive of Etihad, said: “The UAE is home to almost 25,000 Russians and 400 Russia-UAE joint venture companies and, as a result, the business and cultural ties between the two countries have never been stronger.
“Moscow – Abu Dhabi has been a tremendous success with strong load factor and good traffic feeds from our codeshare partner, S7 Airlines. The aim now is to expand services and connectivity over both Abu Dhabi and Moscow with S7. Additional expansion opportunities are also being actively evaluated.”
